as in chat
friendly, informal conversation or an instance of this
at the corporate get-together we made the obligatory small talk with some people from the home office
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of small talk
The 44-year-old listened to her colleagues’ speeches and those of other hopefuls, made small talk with fellow members and then left.
—
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
My dad tried to make some small talk around it.
—Joannie Rochette, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Traffic complaints dominate Dubai small talk — and the city’s ever-expanding public transit networks have yet to put a stop to the habit.
—Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Having fewer people reduces distractions and pressures of too much small talk.
—Lily Hautau, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for small talk
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
My dad tried to make some small talk around it.
—Joannie Rochette, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Traffic complaints dominate Dubai small talk — and the city’s ever-expanding public transit networks have yet to put a stop to the habit.
—Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Having fewer people reduces distractions and pressures of too much small talk.
—Lily Hautau, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for small talk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small talk
Noun
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But the county party official, who was the most senior Republican political leader in the chat, was not entirely absent either.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
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But the chat conversations could be edited, legal experts say, while the phone call recordings could run afoul of Florida’s two-party consent law.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Oil surges as Iran picks Khamenei’s son as supreme leader, but comes off a tad after the Financial Times reported about talks on a possible coordinated release of reserves.—
Nasteho Said,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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Impala Platinum has opened formal talks with Zimbabwe’s central bank and lined up meetings with both the South African and Zimbabwean governments to press for clarity on Harare’s export-earnings policy, its CEO told Semafor, escalating a commercial cash-flow dispute into bilateral negotiations.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones Deal Powered by two processors and eight microphones, the Sony WH-1000XM5 give you industry-leading noise cancellation that effectively eliminates the sound of traffic, office chatter, or airplane engines.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
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The sound rose with laughter, casual chatter and the low hum of a crowd finally allowed to eat.—
Monti Carlo,
AJC.com,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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When the table talk turns political, Hagains suggests shifting your approach instead of your mood.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Nov. 2025
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Each monthly box includes three recipe guides, skill lessons, a kitchen tool, a kitchen project, an apron patch, table talk cards, and a grocery list.—
Jessica Booth,
Parents,
16 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Small talk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small%20talk. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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